The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-24
GETTING THE NEWS.
The NegotIators Said to Have Made
a Proposition.
Washington Reporters Interview
ChamberIain's Four Friends.
How the Senate Once Asserted Its
Rights Respecting Commissions.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 23.-It is expected the
fishery commissioners VIII be able to COM
plete their business and get away in ten
days.
At the first formal conference held yester-
day, every precaution was taken to prevent
leakages. 1t is learned, however, that the
American negotiators submitted the draft of
convention which ,th had tne eeen prepared by
colleagues and the President. The entire
session was deyoJed, it is said, to an infor-
NAL discussion of the provisions of this doc
ument. There was, of course, no conclusion
reached, and it is not possible , to learn what
that the British representatives have learned
lust what the United States has to propose,
Il will be more easy to fully outline the
course to be pursued by Messrs. West, Tup-
per and Chamberlain. =,
The British Minister will give q reception
at the legation to Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain
and Sir Charles Upper on Saturday evening
from 8 to 12 Secretary Bayard will enter
tain the members Of the Fisheries Commits
sion at dinner on the same evening.
The Reporters and the Detectives:
While those correspondents, who are in
tent upon learning the drift Of argument in
conference are rather hopelessly endeayor-
ing TO gather up odds and enes of the pro-
ceedings, the local reporters are amusing
themselves by studying and describing the
four detectives who came here with Mr..
Chamberlain and his party. When Mr..
Chamberlain went to the theatre to see Mr..
Mansfield, they loitered about the lobby and
the rear of the house, which was filled with
very harmless crowd of people, who only
shot glances of curiosity at the eminent
Briton, as he sat in the front of a stage box.
When these detectives arrived. it was under
stood that they were employed by the Brit
ish Minister. One of the men was ques-
toned by reporter today. In the course OF
his answering, he said: "We are not detec-
tives, merely friends of Mr. Chamberlain.
We are with him simply because we are fa-
miliar with the country and people. And
then, you know, a distinguished man must
use precautions to prevent petty annoyances.
All visitors cards go through our hands.
That is done to save the party from being in
truded upon by unwelcome visitors. Only
persons connected with the government and
distinguished people are permitted to see
them" Here the dapper detective became
little more communicative, and Said in
whisper, I'VE were not employed by the
British Minister. 1t was done by our gov
ernment. 1t is customary for prominent
sAnbrlcduS, Wutu luty ~ Travelling, W nave
three or four detectives with them. Presi-
dent Cleveland has detectives to look after
him."
The Right Of Appointment.
1t is well known here that some senators
are of the opinion that the appointment Of
Messrs. Putnam and Angel. though they
may be styled by Secretary Bayard "agents"
or "negotiators," and not commissioners"
was illegal. The jealousy of senators in re-
gard to the Senate's power over appoint
ments which the Constitution has placed in
that body. has heretofore been many times
manifested, and some of the leading sena-
tors today, who partake of the spirit Of their
predecessors, are prepared to raise, with
reference to the recent appointment Of fish
cries commissioners, questions similar to
those which grew out of certain acts by
Presidents Madison and John Quincy Ad-
ami. Preparation for this conflict involves
a great deal of research and overhauling of
aged and faded documents. Two important
cases in point in the form of Senate resolu-
tions, are among the matters cited by sena-
tors to illustrate the sentiments and princi-
pies which will underlie the controversies in
that body this winter. In these cases are
embodied the prominent features OF the
questions involved in the appointment Of
Messrs. Angel and Putnam.
In one of these instances, the Senate reso-
luton "solemnly protested" against the COM
missioning of Albert Gallatin, John Quincy
Adams and James A. Bayard (the grand
father of the present Secretary of State) to
negotiate the treaty with Great Britain,
which was afterwards known as the Treaty
of Ghent, "as an act not authorized by the
Constitution, and in the performance of
which the power Of the Senate has been dis
regarded" The reason for this "solemn
protest" was that the offices to which the
distinguished gentlemen had been commits
stoned in the recess of the Senate were "of-
fees mot before full" and to fill which the
"advice and consent of the Senate" had not
been given. The attitude of the Senate
with relation to appointments without its
"advice and consent" was subsequently
evinced in an exhaustive and able report
made in secret session by Senator Macon of
Georgia, from the committee on foreign rela-
tions, and also in the following resolution:
Whereas, A silent acquiescence on the part Of
this body may at some future time be drawn into
dangerous precedent; therefore
Resolved, That the President of the United
States does not, constitutionally, possess either
the right or the power to appoint ambassadors or
other public minister's but with the advice and
consent of the Senate, except when vacancies
may happen in the recess.